The present invention relates to heavy duty laundry detergent compositions, in either liquid or granular form, which contain certain types of modified cellulose ether materials to impart appearance and integrity benefits to fabrics and textiles laundered in washing solutions formed from such compositions.
It is, of course, well known that alternating cycles of using and laundering fabrics and textiles, such as articles of worn clothing and apparel, will inevitably adversely affect the appearance and integrity of the fabric and textile items so used and laundered. Fabrics and textiles simply wear out over time and with use. Laundering of fabrics and textiles is necessary to remove soils and stains which accumulate therein and thereon during ordinary use. However, the laundering operation itself over many cycles, can accentuate and contribute to the deterioration of the integrity and the appearance of such fabrics and textiles.
Deterioration of fabric integrity and appearance can manifest itself in several ways. Short fibers are dislodged from woven and knit fabric/textile structures by the mechanical action of laundering. These dislodged fibers may form lint, fuzz or xe2x80x9cpillsxe2x80x9d which are visible on the surface of fabrics and diminish the appearance of newness of the fabric. Further, repeated laundering of fabrics and textiles, especially with bleach-containing laundry products, can remove dye from fabrics and textiles and impart a faded, worn out appearance as a result of diminished color intensity, and in many cases, as a result of changes in hues or shades of color.
Given the foregoing, there is clearly an ongoing need to identify materials which could be added to laundry detergent products that would associate themselves with the fibers of the fabrics and textiles laundered using such detergent products and thereby reduce or minimize the tendency of the laundered fabric/textiles to deteriorate in appearance. Any such detergent product additive material should, of course, be able to benefit fabric appearance and integrity without unduly interfering with the ability of the laundry detergent to perform its fabric cleaning function. The present invention is directed to detergent compositions containing certain types of cellulosic materials that perform in this desired manner.
The laundry detergent compositions herein comprise from about 1% to 80% by weight of a detersive surfactant, from about 0. 1% to 80% by weight of an organic or inorganic detergency builder and from about 0. 1% to 8% by weight of certain types of modified cellulose ether fabric treatment agents. The detersive surfactant and detergency builder materials can be any of those useful in conventional laundry detergent products. The modified cellulose ether materials are those which have a molecular weight of from about 10,000 to 2,000,000 and are comprised of repeating substituted anhydroglucose units corresponding to the general Structural Formulas Nos. I, II and III set forth hereinafter in the xe2x80x9cDetailed Description of the Inventionxe2x80x9d section. (In the Structural Formulas hereinafter set forth, substituents are shown in specific positions on the anhydroglucose rings which repeat to form the substituted cellulose ether polymers. It should be understood that this is for illustration purposes only and that such substituents may be found on any of the carbon atoms of the anhydroglucose rings.)
One useful type of cellulose ethers comprises hydrophobically-modified, nonionic materials with anhydroglucose ring alkyl substitution ranging from about 0.1% to 5% by weight of the cellulose ether. Ring substituents are alkoxylated in amounts ranging from about 1 to 20 moles.
A second useful type of cellulose ether comprises cationic cellulose ether materials which may have anhydroglucose ring alkyl substitution ranging from about 0.1% to 5% by weight of the cellulose ether. Anhydroglucose ring substituents contain from about 1 to 20 moles of alkoxylation and from about 0.005 to 0.5 moles of quaternary ammonium cationic moieties.
A third type of cellulose ether comprises anionic cellulose ether materials which may have anhydroglucose ring alkyl substitution ranging from about 0.1% to 5% by weight of the cellulose ether. The anydroglucose rings in such anionic materials also have a degree of carboxymethyl substitution ranging from about 0.05 to 2.5. Combinations of the nonionic, cationic and anionic modified cellulose ethers can also be employed.
In its method aspect, the present invention relates to the laundering or treating of fabrics and textiles in aqueous washing or treating solutions formed from effective amounts of the detergent compositions described herein, or formed from the individual components of such compositions. Laundering of fabrics and textiles in such washing solutions, followed by rinsing and drying, imparts fabric appearance benefits to the fabric and textile articles so treated. Such benefits can include improved overall appearance, pill/fuzz reduction, antifading, improved abrasion resistance, and/or enhanced softness.
As noted, the laundry detergent compositions of the present invention essentially contain detersive surfactant, detergent builder and certain modified cellulose ether fabric treatment agents which serve to enhance fabric appearance and integrity upon use of the detergent compositions to launder fabrics and textiles. Each of these essential detergent composition components, as well as optional ingredients for such compositions and methods of using such compositions, are described in detail as follows: All percentages and ratios given are by weight unless other specified.
A) Detersive Surfactant
The detergent compositions herein essentially comprise from about 1% to 800% by weight of a detersive surfactant. Preferably such compositions comprise from about 5% to 50% by weight of this surfactant. Detersive surfactants utilized can be of the anionic, nonionic, zwitterionic, ampholytic or cationic type or can comprise compatible mixtures of these types. Detergent surfactants useful herein are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,961, Norris, issued May 23, 1972, U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,678, Laughlin et al., issued Dec. 30, 1975, U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,905, Cockrell, issued Sep. 16, 1980, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,659, Murphy, issued Dec. 16, 1980. All of these patents are incorporated herein by reference. Of all the surfactants, anionics and nonionics are preferred.
Useful anionic surfactants can themselves be of several different types. For example, water-soluble salts of the higher fatty acids, i.e., xe2x80x9csoapsxe2x80x9d, are useful anionic surfactants in the compositions herein. This includes alkali metal soaps such as the sodium, potassium, ammonium, and alkylolammonium salts of higher fatty acids containing from about 8 to about 24 carbon atoms, and preferably from about 12 to about 18 carbon atoms. Soaps can be made by direct saponification of fats and oils or by the neutralization of free fatty acids. Particularly useful are the sodium and potassium salts of the mixtures of fatty acids derived from coconut oil and tallow, i.e., sodium or potassium tallow and coconut soap.
Additional non-soap anionic surfactants which are suitable for use herein include the water-soluble salts, preferably the alkali metal, and ammonium salts, of organic sulfuric reaction products having in their molecular structure an alkyl group containing from about 10 to about 20 carbon atoms and a sulfonic acid or sulfuric acid ester group. (Included in the term xe2x80x9calkylxe2x80x9d is the alkyl portion of acyl groups.) Examples of this group of synthetic surfactants are a) the sodium, potassium and ammonium alkyl sulfates, especially those obtained by sulfating the higher alcohols (C8-C18 carbon atoms) such as those produced by reducing the glycerides of tallow or coconut oil; b) the sodium, potassium and ammonium alkyl polyethoxylate sulfates, particularly those in which the alkyl group contains from 10 to 22, preferably from 12 to 18 carbon atoms, and wherein the polyethoxylate chain contains from 1 to 15, preferably 1 to 6 ethoxylate moieties; and c) the sodium and potassium alkylbenzene sulfonates in which the alkyl group contains from about 9 to about 15 carbon atoms, in straight chain or branched chain configuration, e.g., those of the type described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,220,099 and 2,477,383. Especially valuable are linear straight chain alkylbenzene sulfonates in which the average number of carbon atoms in the alkyl group is from about 11 to 13, abbreviated as C11-13 LAS.
Preferred nonionic surfactants are those of the formula R1(OC2H4)nOH, wherein R1 is a C10-C16 alkyl group or a C8-C12 alkyl phenyl group, and n is from 3 to about 80. Particularly preferred are condensation products of C12-C15 alcohols with from about 5 to about 20 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol, e.g., C12-C13 alcohol condensed with about 6.5 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol.
Additional suitable nonionic surfactants include polyhydroxy fatty acid amides of the formula: 
wherein R is a C9-17 alkyl or alkenyl, R1 is a methyl group and Z is glycityl derived from a reduced sugar or alkoxylated derivative thereof. Examples are N-methyl N-1-deoxyglucityl cocoamide and N-methyl N-1-deoxyglucityl oleamide. Processes for making polyhydroxy fatty acid amides are known and can be found in Wilson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,965,576 and Schwartz, U.S. Pat. No. 2,703,798, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
B) Detergent Builder
The detergent compositions herein also essentially comprise from about 0.1% to 80% by weight of a detergent builder. Preferably such compositions in liquid form will comprise from about 1% to 10% by weight of the builder component. Preferably such compositions in granular form will comprise from about 1% to 50% by weight of the builder component. Detergent builders are well known in the art and can comprise, for example, phosphate salts as well as various organic and inorganic nonphosphorus builders.
Water-soluble, nonphosphorus organic builders useful herein include the various alkali metal, ammonium and substituted ammonium polyacetates, i. carboxylates, polycarboxylates and polyhydroxy sulfonates. Examples of polyacetate and polycarboxylate builders are the sodium, potassium, lithium, ammonium and substituted ammonium salts of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, oxydisuccinic acid, mellitic acid, benzene polycarboxylic acids, and citric acid. Other suitable polycarboxylates for use herein are the polyacetal carboxylates described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,226, issued Mar. 13, 1979 to Crutchfield et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,495, issued Mar. 27, 1979 to Crutchfield et al, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. Particularly preferred polycarboxylate builders are the oxydisuccinates and the ether carboxylate builder compositions comprising a combination of tartrate monosuccinate and tartrate disuccinate described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,071, Bush et al., issued May 5, 1987, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Examples of suitable nonphosphorus, inorganic builders include the silicates, aluminosilicates, borates and carbonates. Particularly preferred are sodium and potassium carbonate, bicarbonate, sesquicarbonate, tetraborate decahydrate, and silicates having a weight ratio of SiO2 to alkali metal oxide of from about 0.5 to about 4.0, preferably from about 1.0 to about 2.4. Also preferred are aluminosilicates including zeolites. Such materials and their use as detergent builders are more fully discussed in Corkill et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,509, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Also, crystalline layered silicates such as those discussed in Corkill et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,509, incorporated herein by reference, are suitable for use in the detergent compositions of this invention.
C) Modified Cellulosic Polymers
The third essential component of the detergent compositions herein comprises one or more modified cellulosic polymers. Such materials have been found to impart a number of appearance benefits to fabrics and textiles laundered in aqueous washing solutions formed from detergent compositions which contain such modified cellulosic materials. Such fabric appearance benefits can include, for example, improved overall appearance of the laundered fabrics, reduction of the formation of pills and fuzz, protection against color fading, improved abrasion resistance, etc. The modified cellulosic polymers used in the compositions and methods herein can provide such fabric appearance benefits with acceptably little or no loss in cleaning performance provided by the laundry detergent compositions into which such materials are incorporated.
The modified cellulosic polymers useful herein may be of the nonionic, cationic or anionic types, or the modified cellulosic polymeric component of the compositions herein may comprise combinations of these cellulosic polymer types. The modified cellulosic polymer component of the compositions herein will generally comprise from about 0.1% to 8% by the weight of the composition. More preferably, such modified cellulosic materials will comprise from about 0.5% to 4% by weight of the compositions, most preferably from about 1% to 3%.
One suitable type of modified cellulosic polymer for use herein comprises hydrophobically-modified, nonionic cellulose ethers having a molecular weight of from about 10,000 to 2,000,000, preferably from about 50,000 to 1,000,000. The hydrophobically-modified nonionic materials have repeating, substituted anhydroglucose units which correspond to the general Structural Formula No. I as follows: 
In Structural Formula No. I, R is a combination of H and C8-C24 alkyl, preferably C8-C16 alkyl. Alkyl substitution on the anhydroglucose rings of the polymer ranges from about 0. 1% to 5% by weight, more preferably from about 0.2lo to 2% by weight, of the polymer material. Also, in Structural Formula No. I, R1 is H or methyl, and x ranges from about 1 to 20, preferably from about 1 to 10.
The hydrophobically-modified nonionic cellulose ethers of Structural Formula No. I include those which are commercially available and also include materials which can be prepared by conventional chemical modification of commercially available materials. Commercially available cellulose ethers of the Structural Formula No. I type include Polysurf 67, Natrosol Plus 430 and Natrosol Plus 330, all marketed by Hercules, Inc.
Another suitable type of modified cellulosic polymer for use herein comprises certain cationic cellulose ethers, which may or may not be hydrophobically-modified, having a molecular weight of from about 10,000 to 2,000,000, more preferably from about 10,000 to 1,000,000. These cationic materials have repeating substituted anhydroglucose units which correspond to the general Structural Formula No. II as follows: 
In Structural Formula No. II, R is H or Cg-C24 alkyl, preferably C8-C16 alkyl. Alkyl substitution on the anhydroglucose rings of the polymer ranges from about 0.1% to 5% by weight, more preferably from about 0.2% to 2% by weight, of the polymeric material. Also, in Structural Formula No. II, R2 is CH2CHOHCH2 or C8-C24 alkyl, preferably C8-C16 alkyl. R3, R4 and R5 are each independently methyl, ethyl or phenyl. R6 is H or methyl. Further, in Structural Formula No. II, x ranges from about 1 to 20, preferably from about 1 to 10; and y ranges from about 0.005 to 0.5, preferably from about 0.005 to 0.1; and Z is Clxe2x88x92 or Brxe2x88x92.
The cationic cellulose ethers of Structural Formula No. II likewise include those which are commercially available and further include materials which can be prepared by conventional chemical modification of commercially available materials. Commercially available cellulose ethers of the Structural Formula No. 1 type include the JR 30M, JR 400, JR 125, LR 400 and LK 400 UCARE polymers, all marketed by Union Carbide Corporation.
A third type of suitable modified cellulose polymers for use herein comprises certain anionic cellulose ethers, which also may or may not be hydrophobically-modified, having a molecular weight of from about 10,000 to 2,000,000, more preferably from about 50,000 to 1,000,000. These anionic materials have repeating substituted anhydroglucose units which correspond to general Structural Formula No. III as follows: 
In Structural Formula No. III, R is a combination of H and a) CH2COOA and, optionally, b) C2-24, preferably C2-C16, alkyl, with A being Na or K. Alkyl substitution on the anhydroglucose rings of the polymer ranges from about 0.1% to 5% by weight, more preferably from about 0.2% to 2% by weight, of the polymer material. The anionic cellulose ethers also have a degree of carboxymethyl substitution which ranges from about 0.05 to 2.5, more preferably from about 0.1 to 1.0.
The anionic cellulose ethers of Structural Formula No. III also include those materials which are commercially available and further include those which can be prepared by conventional chemical modification of commercially available materials. Commercially available cellulose ethers of the Structural Formula No. III include CMC 7H, CMC 99-7M and CMC 99-7L, all marketed by Hercules, Inc. and CMC D72, CMC D65 and CMC DHT, all marketed by Penn Carbose.
The commercially available cellulose ether materials useful herein are themselves derived from suitable natural sources of cellulose. Such sources include, for example, cotton linters and other vegetable tissues. The modified cellulose ethers used in this invention are generally all water-soluble materials. They can therefore be utilized for detergent composition preparation in the form of aqueous solutions of the kin such cellulosic polymers if desired.
D) Optional Detergent Ingredients
In addition to the essential surfactants, builders and modified cellose ethers hereinbefore described, the detergent composition of the present invention can also include any number of additional optional ingredients. These include conventional detergent composition components such as bleaches and bleach activators, enzymes and enzyme stabilizing agents, suds boosters or suds suppressers, anti-tarnish and anticorrosion agents, soil suspending agents, soil release agents, germicides, pH adjusting agents, non-builder alkalinity sources, chelating agents, organic and inorganic fillers, solvents, hydrotropes, optical brighteners, dyes and perfumes.
A preferred optional ingredients for incorporation into the detergent compositions herein comprises a bleaching agent, e.g., a peroxygen bleach. Such peroxygen bleaching agents may be organic or inorganic in nature. Inorganic peroxygen bleaching agents are frequently utilized in combination with a bleach activator.
Useful organic peroxygen bleaching agents include percarboxylic acid bleaching agents and salts thereof Suitable examples of this class of agents include magnesium monoperoxyphthalate hexahydrate, the magnesium salt of metachloro perbenzoic acid, 4-nonylamino4-oxoperoxybutyric acid and diperoxydodecanedioic acid. Such bleaching agents are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,781, Hartman, Issued Nov. 20, 1984; European Patent Application EP-A-133,354, Banks et al., Published Feb. 20, 1985; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,934, Chung et al., Issued Nov. 1, 1983. Highly preferred bleaching agents also include 6-nonylamino-6-oxoperoxycaproic acid (NAPAA) as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,551, Issued Jan. 6, 1987 to Burns et al.
Inorganic peroxygen bleaching agents may also be used, generally in particulate form, in the detergent compositions herein. Inorganic bleaching agents are in fact preferred. Such inorganic peroxygen compounds include alkali metal perborate and percarbonate materials. For example, sodium perborate (e.g. mono or tetra-hydrate) can be used. Suitable inorganic bleaching agents can also include sodium or potassium carbonate peroxyhydrate and equivalent xe2x80x9cpercarbonatexe2x80x9d bleaches, sodium pyrophosphate peroxyhydrate, urea peroxyhydrate, and sodium peroxide. Persulfate bleach (e.g., OXONE, manufactured commercially by DuPont) can also be used. Frequently inorganic peroxygen bleaches will be coated with silicate, borate, sulfate or water-soluble surfactants. For example, coated percarbonate particles are available from various commercial sources such as FMC, Solvay Interox, Tokai Denka and Degussa.
Inorganic peroxygen bleaching agents, e.g., the perborates, the percarbonates, etc., are preferably combined with bleach activators, which lead to the in situ production in aqueous solution (i.e., during use of the compositions herein for fabric laundering/bleaching) of the peroxy acid corresponding to the bleach activator. Various non-limiting examples of activators are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,854, Issued Apr. 10, 1990 to Mao et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,934 Issued Nov. 1, 1983 to Chung et al. The nonanoyloxybenzene sulfonate (NOBS) and tetraacetyl ethylene diamine (TAED) activators are typical and preferred. Mixtures thereof can also be used. See also the hereinbefore referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,551 for other typical bleaches and activators useful herein.
Other useful amido-derived bleach activators are those of the formulae:
R1N(R5)C(O)R2C(O)L or R1C(O)N(R5)R2C(O)L 
wherein R1 is an alkyl group containing from about 6 to about 12 carbon atoms, R2 is an alkylene containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms, R5 is H or alkyl, aryl, or alkaryl containing from about 1 to about 10 carbon atoms, and L is any suitable leaving group. A leaving group is any group that is displaced from the bleach activator as a consequence of the nucleophilic attack on the bleach activator by the perhydrolysis anion. A preferred leaving group is phenol sulfonate.
Preferred examples of bleach activators of the above formulae include (6-octanamido-caproyl)oxybenzenesulfonate, (6-nonanamidocaproyl) oxybenzenesulfonate, (6-decanamido-caproyl)oxybenzenesulfonate and mixtures thereof as described in the hereinbefore referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,551.
Another class of useful bleach activators comprises the benzoxazin-type activators disclosed by Hodge et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,723, Issued Oct. 30, 1990, incorporated herein by reference. A highly preferred activator of the benzoxazin-type is: 
Still another class of useful bleach activators includes the acyl lactam activators, especially acyl caprolactams and acyl valerolactams of the formulae: 
wherein R6 is H or an alkyl aryl, alkoxyaryl, or alkaryl group containing from 1 to about 12 carbon atoms. Highly preferred lactam activators include benzoyl caprolactam, octanoyl caprolactam, 3,5,5-trimethylhexanoyl caprolactam, nonanoyl caprolactam, decanoyl caprolactam, undecenoyl caprolactam, benzoyl valerolactam, octanoyl valerolactam, nonanoyl valerolactam, decanoyl valerolactam, undecenoyl valerolactan, 3,5,5-trimethylhexanoyl valerolactam and mixtures thereof. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,784, Issued to Sanderson, Oct. 8, 1985, incorporated herein by reference, which discloses acyl caprolactams, including benzoyl caprolactam, adsorbed into sodium perborate.
If utilized, peroxygen bleaching agent will generally comprise from about 2% to 30% by weight of the detergent compositions herein. More preferably, peroxygen bleaching agent will comprise from about 2% to 20% by weight of the compositions. Most preferably, peroxygen bleaching agent will be present to the extent of from about 3% to 15% by weight of the compositions herein. If utilized, bleach activators can comprise from about 2% to 10% by weight of the detergent compositions herein. Frequently, activators are employed such that the molar ratio of bleaching agent to activator ranges from about 1:1 to 10:1, more preferably from about 1.5:1 to 5:1.
Another highly preferred optional ingredient in the detergent compositions herein is a detersive enzymes component. Enzymes can be included in the present detergent compositions for a variety of purposes, including removal of protein-based, carbohydrate-based, or triglyceride-based stains from substrates, for the prevention of refugee dye transfer in fabric laundering, and for fabric restoration. Suitable enzymes include proteases, amylases, lipases, cellulases, peroxidases, and mixtures thereof of any suitable origin, such as vegetable, animal, bacterial, fungal and yeast origin. Preferred selections are influenced by factors such as pH-activity and/or stability optima, thermostability, and stability to active detergents, builders and the like. In this respect bacterial or fungal enzymes are preferred, such as bacterial 8amylases and proteases, and fungal cellulases.
xe2x80x9cDetersive enzymexe2x80x9d, as used herein, means any enzyme having a cleaning, stain removing or otherwise beneficial effect in a laundry detergent composition. Preferred enzymes for laundry purposes include, but are not limited to, proteases, cellulases, lipases, amylases and peroxidases.
Enzymes are normally incorporated into detergent compositions at levels sufficient to provide a xe2x80x9ccleaning-effective amountxe2x80x9d. The term xe2x80x9ccleaning-effective amountxe2x80x9d refers to any amount capable of producing a cleaning, stain removal, soil removal, whitening, deodorizing, or freshness improving effect on substrates such as fabrics. In practical terms for current commercial preparations, typical amounts are up to about 5 mg by weight, more typically 0.01 mg to 3 mg, of active enzyme per gram of the detergent composition. Stated otherwise, the compositions herein will typically comprise from 0.001% to 5%, preferably 0.01%-1% by weight of a commercial enzyme preparation. Protease enzymes are usually present in such commercial preparations at levels sufficient to provide from 0.005 to 0.1 Anson units (AU) of activity per gram of composition. Higher active levels may be desirable in highly concentrated detergent formulations.
Suitable examples of proteases are the subtilisins which are obtained from particular strains of B. subtilis and B. licheniformis. One suitable protease is obtained from a strain of Bacillus, having maximum activity throughout the pH range of 8-12, developed and sold as ESPERASE(copyright) by Novo Industries A/S of Denmark, hereinafter xe2x80x9cNovoxe2x80x9d. The preparation of this enzyme and analogous enzymes is described in GB 1,243,784 to Novo. Other suitable proteases include ALCALASE(copyright) and SAVINASE(copyright) from Novo and MAXATASE(copyright) from International Bio-Synthetics, Inc., The Netherlands; as well as Protease A as disclosed in EP 130,756 A, Jan. 9, 1985 and Protease B as disclosed in EP 303,761 A, Apr. 28, 1987 and EP 130,756 A, Jan. 9, 1985. See also a high pH protease from Bacillus sp. NCIMB 40338 described in WO 9318140 A to Novo. Enzymatic detergents comprising protease, one or more other enzymes, and a reversible protease inhibitor are described in WO 9203529 A to Novo. Other preferred proteases include those of WO 9510591 A to Procter and Gamble . When desired, a protease having decreased adsorption and increased hydrolysis is available as described in WO 9507791 to Procter and Gamble. A recombinant trypsin-like protease for detergents suitable herein is described in WO 9425583 to Novo.
Cellulases usable herein include both bacterial and fungal types, preferably having a pH optimum between 5 and 10. U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,307, Barbesgoard et al, Mar. 6, 1984, discloses suitable fungal cellulases from Humicola insolens or Humicola strain DSM1800 or a cellulase 212-producing fungus belonging to the genus Aeromonas, and cellulase extracted from the hepatopancreas of a marine mollusk, Dolabella Auricula Solander. Suitable cellulases are also disclosed in GB-A-2.075.028; GB-A-2.095.275 and DE-OS-2.247.832. CAREZYME(copyright) and CELLUZYME(copyright) (Novo) are especially useful. See also WO 9117243 to Novo.
Suitable lipase enzymes for detergent usage include those produced by microorganisms of the Pseudomonas group, such as Pseudomonas stutzeri ATCC 19.154, as disclosed in GB 1,372,034. See also lipases in Japanese Patent Application 53,20487, laid open Feb. 24, 1978. This lipase is available from Amano Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Nagoya, Japan, under the trade name Lipase P xe2x80x9cAmano,xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cAmano-P.xe2x80x9d Other suitable commercial lipases include Amano-CES, lipases ex Chromobacter viscosum, e.g. Chromobacter viscosum var. lipolyticum NRRLB 3673 from Toyo Jozo Co., Tagata, Japan; Chromobacter viscosum lipases from U.S. Biochemical Corp., U.S.A. and Disoynth Co., The Netherlands, and lipases ex Pseudomonas gladioli. LIPOLASE(copyright) enzyme derived from Humicola lanuginosa and commercially available from Novo, see also EP 341,947, is a preferred lipase for use herein.
The enzyme-containing compositions herein may optionally also comprise from about 0.001% to about 10%, preferably from about 0.005% to about 8%, most preferably from about 0.01% to about 6%, by weight of an enzyme stabilizing system. The enzyme stabilizing system can be any stabilizing system which is compatible with the detersive enzyme. Such a system may be inherently provided by other formulation actives, or be added separately, e.g., by the formulator or by a manufacturer of detergent-ready enzymes. Such stabilizing systems can, for example, comprise calcium ion, boric acid, propylene glycol, short chain carboxylic acids, boronic acids, and mixtures thereof, and are designed to address different stabilization problems depending on the type and physical form of the detergent composition.
E) Detergent Composition Preparation
The detergent compositions according to the present invention can be in liquid, paste or granular forms. Such compositions can be prepared by combining the essential and optional components in the requisite concentrations in any suitable order and by any conventional means.
Granular compositions, for example, are generally made by combining base granule ingredients (e.g. surfactants, builders, water, etc.) as a slurry, and spray drying the resulting slurry to a low level of residual moisture (5-12%). The in remaining dry ingredients can be admixed in granular powder form with the spray dried granules in a rotary mixing drum and the liquid ingredients (e.g. organic solutions of the essential cellulosic polymers, enzymes, binders and perfumes) can be sprayed onto the resulting granules to form the finished detergent composition. Granular compositions according to the present invention can also be in xe2x80x9ccompact formxe2x80x9d, i.e. they may have a relatively higher density than conventional granular detergents, i.e. from 550 to 950 g/l. In such case, the granular detergent compositions according to the present invention will contain a lower amount of xe2x80x9cinorganic filler saltxe2x80x9d, compared to conventional granular detergents; typical filler salts are alkaline earth metal salts of sulphates and chlorides, typically sodium sulphate; xe2x80x9ccompactxe2x80x9d detergents typically comprise not more than 10% filler salt.
Liquid detergent compositions can be prepared by admixing the essential and optional ingredients thereof in any desired order to provide compositions containing components in the requisite concentrations. Liquid compositions according to the present invention can also be in xe2x80x9ccompact formxe2x80x9d, in such case, the liquid detergent compositions according to the present invention will contain a lower amount of water, compared to conventional liquid detergents.
Addition of the cellulose ether component to liquid detergent compositions of this invention may be accomplished by simply mixing into the liquid dertergent aqueous solutions of the desired cellulose ethers. Cellulose ethers can alter the viscosity or other rheological characteristics of liquid detergent products. It may therefore be necessary to compensate for any rheological changes in the liquid detergent product brought about by cellulose ether addition by altering the type and amount of hydrotropes and/or solvents that are used.
F) Fabric Laundering Method
The present invention also provides a method for laundering fabrics in a manner which imparts fabric appearance benefits provided by the cellulosic polymers used herein. Such a method employs contacting these fabrics with an aqueous washing solution formed from an effective amount of the detergent compositions hereinbefore described or formed from the individual components of such compositions Contacting of fabrics with washing solution will generally occur under conditions of agitation although the compositions of the present invention may also be used to form aqueous unagitated soaking solutions for fabric cleaning and treatment.
Agitation is preferably provided in a washing machine for good cleaning. Washing is preferably followed by drying the wet fabric in a conventional clothes dryer. An effective amount of the liquid or granular detergent composition in the aqueous wash solution in the washing machine is preferably from about 500 to about 7000 ppm, more preferably from about 1000 to about 3000 ppm.
G) Fabric Conditioning
The modified cellulose ethers hereinbefore described as components of the laundry detergent compositions herein may also be used to treat and condition fabrics and textiles in the absence of the surfactant and builder components of the detergent composition embodiments of this invention. Thus, for example, a fabric conditioning composition comprising only the modified cellulose ethers themselves, or comprising an aqueous solution of the modified cellulose ethers, may be added during the rinse cycle of a conventional home laundering operation in order to impart the desired fabric appearance and integrity benefits hereinbefore described.